Chapter 17: The Alchemy Manual

A dark passage led directly underground.

"As expected!"

Looking at the pitch-black tunnel, Rhode's expression showed no surprise.

Since Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother had chosen this place to study magic potions, the place where she tested the potions couldn't be far away.

It was likely that the secret room where the old witch tested her potions lay below.

Rhode changed into a new set of clothes.

He took a large flashlight out of his personal space.

Click!

The light flickered on, illuminating the passage as brightly as day.

He descended the narrow staircase.

After about thirty steps, his vision opened up.

A secret chamber, several hundred square meters in size, appeared before him.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Candles on the walls spontaneously lit up, illuminating the dim space.

Rhode scanned the interior of the chamber.

The room was large, filled with all kinds of herbs and strange items.

Dried bat specimens, various animal carcasses, and two silver-furred wolves locked in cages.

Silver wolves were a rare breed of wolves, their blood containing pure wolf lineage.

Fresh blood extracted from a purebred silver wolf was a key ingredient for making the Wolfsbane Elixir.

That's why the old witch kept two silver wolves in the secret room, ready to draw their blood whenever needed for her potions.

However, what truly caught his attention was the row of cages covered with black cloth in the corner.

Rhode stepped forward and lifted the black cloth covering one of the iron cages.

Bang!

A loud noise erupted from within the cage.

A sharp wolf claw stopped just centimeters from Rhode's eyes.

Without expression, Rhode grabbed the werewolf's wrist and inspected the situation inside the cage.

Inside was a werewolf with blood-red eyes and a crazed, bloodthirsty look on its face.

Its body was tightly bound to the wall with thick chains.

Its bloody wounds hadn't fully healed, indicating it had recently undergone inhumane torture.

There were about twenty similar cages around the room.

Clearly, most of the werewolves in the forest were held here, used by the old witch as test subjects for her potions.

"They've lost even the most basic humanity. Living is nothing but torment now."

Rhode pulled out the cross necklace and slowly wrapped it around his hand.

With one punch, he shattered the werewolf's skull.

Delivering salvation!

Under the purification of divine power, the werewolf died peacefully, without a trace of pain.

Looking at the werewolf's corpse, thinking it would be a waste to leave it there.

If left alone, it would rot and attract maggots in no time.

Better to sacrifice it and contribute to his own growth.

Besides, this way, he could help save more lost sheep on behalf of God.

Does it make sense?

At least to Rhode, his reasoning made perfect sense.

Sacrifice!

As the werewolf's body was sacrificed, Rhode felt a slight boost in his power—about a 1% increase in strength.

Had he not been paying close attention, he might not have even noticed the change.

"Seems I was a bit too greedy."

Rhode shook his head, thinking that sacrificing these werewolves would give him a massive surge in power.

But this was all he got?

Then again, it made sense.

The stronger one's body, the higher their life level, and the more energy and material it would take to further enhance it.

It's like comparing a human eating five pounds of meat to a tiger eating the same amount—would it feel the same?

A human might feel stuffed, but for a tiger, it would barely count as a snack and might even leave it hungrier.

So, as Rhode grew stronger, the rewards from sacrificing ordinary creatures like werewolves would diminish.

If sacrificing all twenty of these werewolves boosted his body by 10%, that would already be quite good.

Less is less.

But even so, "mosquito meat is still meat," as they say.

With his current strength, even a 1% boost was significant.

"Time to spread some warmth!"

Rhode uncovered each black cloth and gave every werewolf the "warmth" brought by the cross.

Then he gathered all the werewolf corpses together.

Begin the sacrifice!

As a deep light illuminated the room, the werewolf corpses gradually disappeared.

But this time, Rhode didn't feel any physical enhancement.

Instead, something new appeared in his mind.

Rhode's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Though this sacrifice hadn't strengthened his body, it unexpectedly awakened a special bloodline ability.

Roar!

This ability activated the hidden power within the werewolf bloodline, unleashing a roar that could shake the soul.

It could instill fear in all nearby creatures, rendering them unable to resist.

Moreover, the powerful sound waves could even directly kill weaker beings through shock.

This was a dual attack ability, striking both mentally and physically.

Even covering your ears wouldn't block it.

It was an extremely effective group attack skill.

Rhode was satisfied.

Though his body hadn't been strengthened, unlocking a powerful new skill wasn't a bad trade-off.

He searched the secret chamber and collected all the materials that could be used to craft potions into his personal space.

Now that he had mastered alchemy, he could brew a variety of potions.

Though he had accumulated some resources, it wouldn't do to waste anything.

On the potion-mixing table, Rhode also discovered an old-looking alchemy manual.

He casually flipped through a few pages.

Suddenly, his previously indifferent gaze became focused.